Maggie May I?
by Jeanny
Summary: What if Maggie Walsh's attempt to create Adam had failed? Well, if at first you don't succeed... (A response for In Another Life Challenge - http://www.angelfire.com/mo3/fanfic/AnotherLife/Challenge.html)


Title: Maggie May I?

Author: Jeanny

Feedback/Email: jeannygrrl@hotmail.com Feedback is appreciated!

Spoilers: Season 4 Through Primevil

Rating: PG-13

Season: BtVS S4

Character: Maggie Walsh

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters that appear on the show are the exclusive property of Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy, Inc., UPN and any one else with a legal binding claim to the shows and/or characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: What if Maggie Walsh's attempt to create Adam had failed? Well, if at first you don't succeed...(A response for In Another Life Challenge)

AN: Why Professor Walsh? Because the plot bunny was so very, very evil and it wouldn't let me go...and in the sense of making a different choice, consider that the reason for Adam's nonviability, okay?

*********

Professor Maggie Walsh entered Room 314 with an almost inhuman calm. She was a scientist, drawn to analysis and efficiency, things that left most people cool. But Maggie had a passion for her work that set her apart, made her push things past where anyone else would go, to their limits and beyond. And it gave her charisma, the kind that convinced others to follow her down these freshly blazed new frontiers. 

Even if they were all marching directly to Hell.

"How did the tour go?" Dr. Alderman asked with feigned nonchalance as his boss entered the secret room. He was devoted to the woman and her vision, but that didn't mean he wasn't nervous about what could go wrong. Maggie Walsh frowned as she answered, doing nothing to allay his fears.

"I'm not sure. She's unpredictable." 

She crossed the room, her attention fully focused on the project at hand, as always. Dr. Alderman swallowed hard.

"She's an unnecessary risk," he said emphatically. In a moment she would know of their latest failure. The latest experiment had shown such promise, and they had both been encouraged. But Alderman knew that it was not to be.

"Possibly," Maggie answered noncommittally. "How's our baby doing today?"

"Not well, I'm afraid," Alderman answered, swallowing hard. Maggie shook her head in disbelief.

"But the new injections, the modifications..." she protested, ripping the charts out of Alderman's hands and reading it with an intensity that made her assistant begin sweating profusely.

"They aren't taking. I'm afraid this experiment is...proving to be nonviable. Just like the others."

"No!" she almost shouted, the continued in a calmer voice, her jaw set. "I can't accept that. It was working. We both saw that it was working."

"Yes, the hormonal injections and other enhancements we gave Lieutenant..." Alderman trailed off when she stared daggers at him. It was against policy to identify the man whose body was being experimented on by his old human name. Faltering, he corrected himself, "Adam definitely showed promise. But despite its appearance we both know that the body is still mainly human, and the tissue degrades too rapidly to handle the fusion with the demon elements. The mechanical elements are still functioning, but as the unit continues to fail they will go offline even if they're still fully powered by the core. At the present rate of degradation, I'm afraid Adam will fail to function completely in a matter of hours." 

Maggie said nothing. She stared at the patchwork creature she had created, noting the sallow cast of the skin that was still human, the monitors and charts all having told her the same tale as the doctor. She knew he was right. She was a scientist, and facts were facts. She nodded finally.

"I agree with your assessment," she said quietly. "Remove the core. Shut him down." Alderman nodded, a bit relieved. "I'll debrief our sponsors and let them know about our next step."

"Which is?" Alderman asked curiously. Maggie gave him a thin smile, and he knew she'd already come up with a plan. He didn't pause to analyze why that sent a shiver down his spine.

"As you said, the human tissue is not maintaining the enhancements. We need to improve the healing capacities of our host body in order to sustain viability. We're very close to doing that now, but there isn't time. They're going to shut down the project, remove funding if we can't produce results soon." Maggie's eyes glittered dangerously. "Fortunately there is a host body available that is already sufficiently enhanced."

"Who...Buffy Summers?" Alderman said. It wasn't really a question. Maggie smiled in satisfaction.

"It's an elegant solution, don't you think?" she asked rhetorically. "We have need of a suitable host, and the girl is far too nosy for anyone's good. Not to mention that her relationship with Agent Finn is distracting and counter-productive."

"But using her as host, won't that kill her?" Alderman paused. There was a difference in his mind between using a soldier, who was in many ways prepared to make such a sacrifice, and a civilian, particularly a young girl. It seemed to be a much greater risk, and Alderman was by nature not given to leave things to chance.

"Of course. Until the appropriate power replacements can be made." She eyed her assistant with deceptive calm, knowing this was a big step forward for them. She hoped he would come around. Alderman had great skill, and would be difficult to replace. Difficult, but not impossible. Still, she felt a little better when she saw he wasn't rejecting the idea out of hand, but instead examining it with his usual chariness.

"She has a lot of ties to the outside world. Friends, family," Alderman cautioned. "She'll be missed if she just disappears."

"Ah, but she's a Slayer, constantly risking her life in a dangerous battle with the HST's that she is not even expected to win. Her friends and family have anticipated her death for years. And the disappearance of her body will be easy enough to arrange. We'll have the assistance of a willing, if unknowing, accomplice."

"Agent Finn."

"Precisely," Maggie said with a satisfied nod. "And we'll scarcely be depriving the world of a Slayer. As I understand the mythology, another will be called as soon as this one ceases to function." She waved her hands indifferently. "We both knew it was likely we were going to have to terminate her. She was getting too close. This way she will no longer be a threat, and the project can move forward."

"When will we be able to begin?" Alderman asked, and Maggie smiled again.

"Soon."

********

FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF MAGGIE WALSH

...Subject Summers proved more difficult than anticipated. Termination by demon attack proved a nonviable solution; however, the appearance of such attack was managed posthumously. Body was then placed for 'discovery' by Alpha Team. Agent Finn, as predicted, brought Summers to HQ in hopes of medical assistance. He reacted quite strongly to being told that Summers was in fact terminated, requiring restraint for some time, but appears to already be moving forward. If anything he is more focused on the mission, a definite improvement. Summers' friends and family requested the return of her body, but the misinformation that the body was shipped to Washington for study was passed along by Riley as predicted. All subsequent inquiries into this matter have thus far been able to be diverted. And each day we grow closer to success. Eve has taken each improvement in stride. Her healing capacities are truly remarkable. 

What I have learned from the failure with Adam has proved invaluable in the creation of Eve. Memory programming is almost complete. I fully anticipate that she will be operational in less than 48 hours. It is a brave new world...

********

Maggie tried not to hold her breath as eyes fluttered open. At first unfocused, they looked up at her, one blue, one yellow, both mildly puzzled. Maggie stepped back and watched Eve sit up on the table, looking around her with a frown. Catching her own reflection, the frown deepened. She touched the criss-cross of demon and human flesh on her face, finally reaching up to touch her hair, now trimmed to an inch-long buzz cut. It was the dark blonde that had been Buffy Summer's roots, but Maggie knew that the programming would have excised such memories from Eve. Still, her prolonged contemplation was a bit troubling. Perhaps the programming wipe needed to be checked. The thought had no sooner formed than her creation turned her gaze to her, still frowning.

"Where am I?" she asked mildly.

"This is home. Access that data. Home," Maggie commanded. Eve's eyes lit up almost immediately. 

"Yes. The Initiative. Room 314. Home."

Maggie took a deep breath. So far, so good.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, her tone oddly gentle. Eve frowned again, searching the data. She nodded, but the frown remained, as if she suspected there was something wrong with what she was saying.

"You're...mother..."

"That's right," Maggie encouraged. If there was a residue of Buffy Summers in there, much better to isolate and eliminate it now. "Do you know who you are?"

"I know," the former Slayer answered, and Maggie stared at her sharply. If she hadn't known it was impossible, she would have suspected that her project was being evasive. It was more possible that she was being too literal in her interpretations. That would change as she adopted and grew as designed.

"Who are you?" Maggie asked patiently. There was a pause, but not long enough to worry, before Maggie received the answer that made her smile.

"Eve."

"Very good," Maggie praised, clasping her hands together in a kind of victory handshake. Her mind was already reviewing the battery of tests that needed to be conducted, things that needed to be measured and proven. She moved away, picking up her clipboard to scribble notes furiously, her mind working almost too fast for her hand.

"Mother?" Eve said quietly. Maggie answered with half-attention.

"Yes, Eve?"

"What am I?"

Maggie laughed aloud, her delight no longer containable.

"A success."

"A success," Eve repeated, saying the word slowly. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Why do you call me that?"

"Because you function perfectly," Maggie answered, turning back to her creation with a broad grin. "There are still tests that need to be performed, of course, but I have no doubt that they will all show that you're performing at capacities beyond which anyone thought possible." *Except for me,* she added silently with another self-congratulatory smirk.

"I function. But what am I?"

"You are a miracle. The perfect soldier, both demon and technology-enhanced. You are beyond anything anyone has ever attempted, let alone created. You dwarf every other accomplishment I've had, and you haven't even taken your first step. But you will, very soon. You know your mission?"

Eve looked at Maggie and smiled her first real smile, though her eyes remained thoughtful.

"Yes. My mission. That is clear."

*******

FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF MAGGIE WALSH

The time to unveil Eve to the world is fast approaching, and yet I'd be lying if I didn't say I had a bit of apprehension. I've checked the programming repeatedly. All traces of Buffy Summers' memories appear to have been eliminated, and yet...I find myself frequently feeling that something is not quite as it should be. Eve seems to share Summers' trait of inquisitiveness, even though all information she needs is already programmed into her. Yet she has been designed to be adaptive; this could be a by-product of that ability.

It is probably just nerves on my part. Every test, every measurement on Eve has been beyond my wildest hopes. I'm so close to being able to prove our success. I suppose paranoia is a natural reaction. 

*******

"Agent Finn! Halt! Agent Finn!"

The shout from outside was the only warning Maggie had before Riley burst through the door of Room 314. She moved to stop him, but it was too late. Eve just smiled as Riley's face whitened in disbelief and horror.

"Buffy?" he whispered, stepping forward. Maggie grabbed Riley's arm as Alderman moved to block his path.

"Agent Finn, you are not authorized to be in this area," Maggie started sternly. The look Riley gave her was as sharp and stinging as a slap.

"What the hell did you do to her?" he growled.

"I-" Maggie began, but from behind Alderman's back Eve interrupted.

"Riley. Brother," Eve said, as she extended the spike she had been given from the Polgara demon and stabbed Alderman through the heart. Dispassionately she watched the man fall, then she looked up at Riley's shocked face. "I've been waiting for you."

"Oh my God," Riley breathed, stunned. Maggie was too shocked to say anything, or even move. She could feel her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, drowning out all sound, all thought. Her eyes were fixed to Alderman's still form, the rapidly growing pool of red beneath him. Peripherally she could see Eve coming closer, and finally she looked. Eve still had the bloody barb that had killed Alderman extended. The spike that Maggie had chosen, the one that she had made a part of her. There was no emotion in her creation's eyes, only the promise of death.

"Mother," Eve said almost reverently as she moved catlike towards her.

"Buffy, no!" Riley cried. He moved in front of his mentor, taking the stabbing that was intended for her. Maggie screamed his name as he sunk to the ground, clutching his stomach. Eve shook her head regretfully, but her eyes only looked curious.

"Interesting." Her paralysis finally broken, Maggie had scrambled away. Eve watched her push a hidden button and smiled at her. 

"Reinforcements," she shrugged, seeming neither surprised nor disappointed. "We'll have to finish this later, Mother." She crouched slightly then sprang straight up, grabbing onto a pipe near the ceiling just at the moment that armed guards flooded the room, their laser sights trained on Maggie's face. 

"Stand down, soldier," she commanded. It came out a bit too shaky to be very commanding, but the soldier obeyed, waving off the others.

"We need a medic!" another soldier shouted, crouched by Riley's now-unconscious body, holding his hands over the wound on Finn's stomach. Another team checked Alderman's pulse, shaking his head grimly. Another team rushed in and began to work on Riley, urgent and hushed. 

"Are you alright, Professor? What happened?" a gentle voice asked, and Maggie looked up into the concerned eyes of Graham Miller. She continued looking up towards the ceiling, trying to find where Eve had gone. She had vanished seemingly without a trace.

"We have a containment breach, Agent Miller. Prepare Alpha team."

"Another hostile escaped? And it took down Riley and Dr. Alderman?"

"No..." Maggie said automatically, then looked at Finn and Alderman again, and paused. "She's not an ordinary hostile, Agent Miller. I don't want her harmed in any way."

"What sort of HST is it, Professor?" Agent Forrest Gates had joined them, his eyes flashing with anger and the desire to take care of the being that had injured his friend. Maggie swallowed hard, then fixed them both with a glare that brooked no arguments.

"It...she...is not an HST. She's a special project. Code name Eve, highly classified. It is vital to the success of our mission that she be returned alive. That's all you need to know."

"But...I need some kind of parameters, Professor. Just what are we looking for?"

"Buffy Summers."

*******

FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF MAGGIE WALSH

Things have gone from bad to worse. Eve has alluded capture thus far, even though we have teams whose perpetual mission status is her recovery. A trail of corpses, both human and hostile, has been clearly attributed to her, and orders are now to terminate on sight. Of course, I know how impossible those orders are to carry out. She was designed to be nearly indestructible, as I well know.

Worse, funding for the project has now been terminated. I would have been shipped back to D.C. in disgrace if I weren't the only person with a prayer of stopping her. My orders are to undo what I've done, but I can't do that, not when I am so close. Instead I've been trying to sort out where things went wrong, and keeping tabs on my enemies.

Agent Finn has no idea he's being tracked, which is good because he has proven to be a traitor to the cause. He has banded together with Buffy Summers' friends, including Hostile 17, to try to take down not only Eve but the entire Initiative. Fortunately his disloyalty has allowed me to stay abreast of their plans, which have to date been less than impressive. They have no better idea how to deal with this situation than we do right now. And they have apparently got some other problem to deal with, a renegade Slayer named Faith...

*******

"Joyce?" Riley called, pushing at the door that was slightly ajar. He hadn't been by to see Buffy's mother since the funeral, partly from guilt and partly from finding himself unable to deal with his own grief. But Giles had asked him to run by and check on things for him, so he had mustered up his courage. He drew his weapon now, his breathing slightly erratic from the fear pulsing through him. "Oh God. Please, not her. Not Bu-Eve," he whispered, his body shaking violently for a long moment. He steadied himself against the doorframe and drew upon his training to calm himself before stepping into the house.

"Joyce?" he called again, raising his voice urgently. "Is everything okay?" No one was downstairs and nothing seemed out of place, so he made his way up the stairs. His heart pounded a bit harder as he passed Buffy's room and made his way to her mother's, his sharp hearing picking up a soft snuffling then a rattling sound that made him pick up his pace. Someone was definitely in Joyce's room. He listened at the door for only a split second before kicking the door in and stepping in, taser at the ready. He found Joyce in a fetal position on the bed, sobbing violently. Her head was in the lap of a dark-haired girl he knew only from pictures. Red-rimmed dark eyes looked at him defiantly. Faith stroked Joyce's hair as she regarded the new arrival, tears streaming almost unnoticed. 

"You here for me?" the dark-haired Slayer asked flatly. "Let's go then. I won't try to...It doesn't matter anymore."

"No," Joyce said brokenly. She pushed herself up slightly, wrapping her arms around the Slayer's thighs possessively. Riley looked at the two of them, nonplussed.

"Came here to steal her life," Faith said as if Joyce wasn't even there. "Wanted her to suffer, but mostly I just wanted her life. It wasn't fair, you know? She had the great mom, the great friends..."

"Faith," Riley said urgently. "I didn't come here to take you...I didn't know you were here. But I'm not going to let you hurt Joyce." Faith shrugged, seeming beyond caring.

"Not gonna."

"She saved me," Joyce said thickly. "Riley...Buffy...that thing...she was here..."

"When? How long ago?" Riley's sharp inquiry made Joyce flinch.

"She's long gone. Ran off when I got here," Faith answered dully, though her eyes were pained as she looked at him. 

"She was afraid of you?" Riley asked almost desperately. Faith gave him a humorless smile.

"Not even a little. Fought me a bit, would have kicked my ass and then some if she'd wanted. She didn't want. Instead, she said to tell big brother see you soon and took off. Guessing that's you." At Riley's curt nod she snorted. "She's more than Slayer strong, but not so pretty, whatever the hell she is now." Faith's hands left Joyce's hair and balled into fists. "God. I mean, if she was vamped, that would be one thing. But...damn you people for doing that to her."

"Pretty sure we're already damned," Riley answered bluntly. He held out his hand to her. "But we need to stop her. And there are still people that need to pay in this life, because I need to see it happen. Mainly one Maggie Walsh. Wanna help out with that?"

Faith's eyes widened in surprise almost imperceptibly, then she gave him a grin as hollow as he felt.

"Sounds like fun."

Having watched the whole scene play out via the camera Riley was unaware he was wearing, Maggie's mouth was pressed into a thin line. She'd known that Riley Finn hated her now, but had no idea how much. Or how much that hate could hurt.

*******

"I don't trust her," Willow said grumpily. The frowns on Xander and Anya's faces echoed the redhead's sentiment, while the witch called Tara, a new addition, just looked confused and Giles seemed uncomfortable. The British librarian sighed heavily.

"I understand that, Willow. But whether we like it or not, Faith is a Slayer."

"A psychotic Slayer," Anya supplied helpfully. Xander pointed at her significantly, wordlessly communicating that his girlfriend had nailed his sentiments.

"Who is willing to help us bring down the Initiative," Giles finished wearily.

"She's supposed to be in jail, Giles," Willow insisted stubbornly. "You said it yourself, the Council-"

"The Council hasn't exactly been helpful with our current problem," Giles snapped, removing his glasses. "And I'm afraid if we don't come up with a way to stop Professor Walsh and her...abomination...what happens to Faith will be the least of our worries." His bitter pronouncement left them all clearly depressed. Buffy's death had hit hard; Riley's news of her reincarnation as Eve had plainly been infinitely worse. 

Maggie was amazed that they were able to function at all. She watched them idly on the monitor, the hidden camera that Riley carried still functioning perfectly. From all she had heard them speak of this new Slayer, that they were willing to consider working with her was indicative of how dire they thought the circumstances were. Maggie wished she could see Riley's expression as she heard him speak.

"Look, I don't know this Faith, though I get the bad history. But I don't see a way we're going to make this work without her. If any of the rest of you do, please, speak up now. I'd like to hear it." Sullen silence met his pronouncement, and Maggie could almost feel Riley nodding. "Okay then...I'm going to head back there to pave the way. Once Faith's in, we'll only have about ten minutes to grab Walsh and go."

"You really think that bitch's got a way to stop...the thing..." Xander said quietly. Riley's voice was so full of quiet rage when he answered it actually made Maggie wince.

"She's the one who did this. She's the only one who'll have a way to stop it." Maggie's view of the others disappeared as Riley walked to the door.

"We'll keep researching anyway," Willow called after him. "Try to find another way."

"You do that," Riley said neutrally. Maggie smiled coldly as she turned away from the monitor. Riley had no idea he was coming back to an arrest and a court-martial. And when she attempted to join him, this new Slayer would be captured as well. 

Her failure with Eve would not be repeated.

******

FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF MAGGIE WALSH

Agent Finn has not yet returned to the Initiative, and the signal from the camera has failed. I attempted to use the recall override from his implant. The signal seems to be sending, but he has not returned. I fear that Agent Finn may be dead, a thought that actually saddens me. He showed great promise, and in many ways was a successful experiment. If he hadn't gotten emotionally involved with Buffy Summers, who knows what he might have done?

In the meantime, there are more pressing matters to attend to. The patrol teams have captured an increasing number of HSTs, Something appears to be driving them above ground. The containment centers are nearly at capacity, and they have grown increasingly agitated and restless. The sound of them howling makes it difficult to think. I am going to suggest to Colonel McNamara that we initiate termination orders on a majority of the ones on which we have completed experimentation. They are a pointless distraction now. I can't think that McNamara will object, given the number of casualties we've suffered on our patrols. I've already commented on some of these losses, Miller, Gates. Necessary for the cause, and yet it does pain me. However, I will ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain. The results of my experiments will make this country a safer stronger place in the future.

On a happier note, arrangements for the Slayer Faith's arrival have been made. She won't realize that Riley is not the one helping her until it's too late.

And then she's mine. 

*******

"The Slayer has arrived, Professor. But she's not alone."

"Agent Finn?" Maggie asked in surprise, stepping up for a better view of the monitor. Corporal Hardy, the agent manning the station frowned.

"No, three others." It was dark in the elevator shaft, but Maggie quickly identified them. Harris, Rosenberg, Giles. This hadn't been part of the plan, but in retrospect not surprising. She should have guessed they'd come along. After all, it had been clear they hadn't trusted Faith, and had very little confidence in Riley either. She smiled, nodding in satisfaction.

"They're civilians, but dangerous ones. This is good, we'll have no difficulty detaining them since they came to us. Capture them and bring them to interrogation with the girl." Maggie moved towards the door, almost colliding with a soldier that had just entered moments before. She was surprised when he addressed her.

"What do you want to do about Agent Finn, ma'am?" The fresh-faced soldier was named Donohue, she remembered.

"If Agent Finn returns to the Initiative, he's to be arrested immediately," Maggie answered, annoyed at having to repeat what the soldier surely already knew. The boy shook his head.

"No, ma'am. I mean, yes, ma'am, but Agent Finn is already inside the Initiative. I saw him at the end of the corridor when I arrived for my shift."

"What? That's not...why didn't you sound the alarm?" Maggie asked sharply. Donohue winced, his cheeks coloring guiltily but he stood his ground.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I wasn't aware of the arrest order for Finn. I've been on personal leave...however, when I was told I alerted my superior officer to Finn's presence. They're searching the facility now, ma'am."

"Why wasn't I told about this?" she snapped. The soldier looked at her balefully.

"Don't know, ma'am."

"The intruders have been apprehended and are ready for interrogation, Professor Walsh," Hardy reminded her.

"Keep me posted on the search for Agent Finn, Corporal," she answered, nodding at the two men's salutes as she took off down the corridor. A number of agents brushed past her, heading for the holding area with their weapons drawn. She glanced down that corridor as she passed, slowing to a stop. The HST's were screaming, throwing their bodies against the walls and electrified doors of their cells, making a horrid cacophony. It was making her head pound. She tried to ignore the sound as continued her own walk, but it just seemed to get louder, a tuneless yet menacing drone that pulsed like the pain in her head. The corridor seemed endless, and she stumbled, reaching out blindly to try to keep from falling. Dimly she felt arms around her, holding her upright.

*That's what it'll sound like. The end of the world,* Maggie thought dizzily, just before the lights went out.

*******

"Professor...Walsh! Wake up...Professor!" 

The strange voice called her back to consciousness. Maggie thought it sounded harsh, grating, practically inhuman and yet almost familiar. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at the ceiling of Room 314. She momentarily panicked when she found herself unable to move, then forced herself to regain calm. She was strapped to an operating table. She turned her head and saw Riley, pale and haggard, looking up at her with a mixture of hate and fear. He was seated and unfettered by leather restraints like her own, yet the pale glean of sweat on his forehead told her he was being held in place, and she knew how. 

"The implant," Maggie realized. "Of course...but she can't be. There is not override for the control of the implant. I'm the only one who-"

Riley interrupted, and she realized it had been his voice, its peculiarity due to the effort required for him to speak. 

"What...the hell...did you do to me?" he asked, spitting out each word venomously. "She's...controlling...me...because of you..."

"Really, mother. You wanted me to learn new things!" Eve said innocently, stepping out from behind a piece of equipment. Maggie was sick with horror when she saw Miller and Gates shambling in behind her. "And I've been making some improvements on your work. I hope you don't mind."

The professor couldn't take her eyes off the two former soldiers, now clearly containing enhancements. Their faces were blank, but their eyes swirled with the same frightening intelligence that she now saw in Eve's. Maggie swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat, forcing herself to remain calm and think. She could still regain the upper hand here; she'd been preparing for just this sort of situation.

"Eve shutdown protocol Walsh niner griffin charlie-" 

Eve interrupted her with exaggerated patience.

"Mother, please. There is no longer any shutdown protocol. There was no benefit. The viability of my kind...that's what's most important. The things that have thwarted our progress, inefficiency, lack of raw materials, are all about to change. You're going to help me welcome in the superior race that you began. We're going to be perfect, mother. It's a brave new world. You'll be so proud."

Maggie Walsh was many things, but stupid was not one of them. Her logical mind pieced together what Eve was saying with the recent increase in demon activity and came to what was for her an unavoidable conclusion.

"You're planning a massacre. To have the demons and humans in the base kill each other off," Maggie guessed, her face and voice carefully neutral. Eve smiled, coming closer to Maggie.

"Very good, mother. I knew you'd figure it out. And you and my brother, you managed the most important part of all. You got the Slayer here. She will help even the odds, and then she will be one of us. Riley, Faith, you and me. Our family will be complete."

"No," Maggie croaked, struggling against her the bonds as Eve reached out and stroked her hair almost affectionately. "This is not what I wanted." Maggie was still certain that somehow, someway, she was going to escape this nightmare. She was smart, strong, and had come too far to lose to one of her own creations.

"It isn't?" Eve asked, the eye that had originally belonged to Buffy Summers widening innocently. She frowned in puzzlement, then put on another sunny smile. "Oh well. Guess it's just me then." A high pitched whine pierced the air for a brief moment before the room was plunged into near darkness, the red emergency making it look more like the horror scene Maggie knew it was.

"Is it time?" The creature that used to be Forrest Gates asked, his mouth stretching into a horrible parody of the easy-going grin he'd had when he was alive.

"Yes," Eve replied distractedly. "Stay here. Prepare Finn and Walsh for the procedures. I've got to get into position."

"Position?" Maggie choked out. Eve's eyebrows went up in mock surprise.

"To wait for Faith, mother."

"To kill her," Maggie stated. Eve's brow knotted almost innocently.

"To save her," she corrected. "To make her more than she is. Make her like me." She moved in closer, tilting her head. "I know that's what you wanted, mother."

"Yes," Maggie admitted without shame. "But not this way. I never wanted all these people to die."

"Does it matter how many die, mother?" Eve asked absently, turning away before Maggie could answer. "We'll talk about it later, when you've come around. You'll understand better once you've been enhanced." Maggie's view was blocked by her two former agents, both of whom appeared to be preparing for something Maggie knew she couldn't allow to happen.

"It's like being reborn, Professor," Miller added fervently. "You can't even imagine what it's like." He moved an operating tray into position, an array of scalpels and other instruments, chillingly efficient.

"It's all good," Forrest added, directing his comments towards Riley. "We're stronger, smarter, faster...you'll love it."

"No," Riley responded, his body still frozen, his eyes drawn desperately towards Walsh. Maggie's eyes swept across the operating tray, seeing what she needed gleaming in the sharp fluorescent lighting for one quick moment before the lights went out. Maggie made her move.

"Finn override protocol Walsh one one niner charlie zebra," she barked out. The startled yelps she heard told her that it had worked. Moments later she felt hands on her, and a loosening of the straps. She sat up just as the emergency lighting came on, bathing them all in an eerie red glow. Riley was standing next to her, his hands still on the straps, but Gates and Miller were practically on top of them both.

"Really, Finn," Forrest admonished. "You didn't think we'd go down that easily, didja?" The two advanced towards the greater threat, and Riley struck out at them like a madman, screaming at his former mentor at the same time.

"Professor, get out of here! You stop this now, and I don't care how! Find a way!"

Maggie didn't hesitate. She ran out the door and down the dimly lit corridor, her brain already turning, working on a plan to stop Eve without harming her...she ran into the monitor room, finding it deserted, and gasped at the carnage showing on the screens. The demons were out and fully engaged in battle with the Initiative. She forced her eyes to tear away from the horrific scene, continuing to call up different camera views until she found Eve and Faith. Faith was on the ground, and Eve was standing over her, smiling. Maggie checked the board and saw they were in one of the hidden rooms, then flipped a switch and found the audio.

"Interesting. I thought you'd put up more of a fight," Eve said with clinical detachment.

"What can I say? I'm not Buffy," Faith growled.

"Why do you say that?" Eve asked.

"Buffy would have taken you down, sister. I don't care what kind of fancy hardware they've lined you up with."

"Ah. You have a lot of faith in her."

"No. I have a lot of faith in me. I'm just hoping there's a little Buffy in you," Faith said, jumping to her feet with a grunt. A strange expression passed over Eve's face, and Maggie frowned. Sadness. Regret. Her Eve should not be feeling those things. When her creation spoke, her words should have been reassuring, but there was something in the tone that made Maggie unsure.

"There is not. Buffy Summers is dead."

"Well, let's just see about that," Faith answered, and Eve braced for an attack but there was none. Instead Faith stood perfectly still, her eyes glowing with a strange white light. Eve tilted her head, puzzled, then held out her arm, extending the cannon enhancement.

"I think it's time to end all of this," she said as she fired. Maggie gasped as she watched the dark-haired Slayer wave her hand and the bullets speeding towards her suddenly flew away as butterflies.

"We are more than you could possibly imagine," Faith said, in a voice that was more than just her own. Like multiple voices speaking as once, but with a spooky echoing that made Maggie's skin crawl. Eve looked even more confused, and Maggie pounded on the monitor.

"They've done something. They've done something, Eve, get out of there!" she cried, cursing violently as she saw Eve simply watch the butterflies curiously.

"You should not have that power," Eve said. "It is not a power of the Slayer."

"You do not know what a Slayer is," the Faith that was more than Faith answered. "What a Slayer can become. This was for you, Buffy Summers."

"Buffy Summers is dead," Eve responded again, but her voice seemed unsure.

"We call to you, Buffy Summers," Faith said again. "This...is...for you..."

"No!" Eve screamed suddenly, and Maggie took off running. She had no idea what was happening, but she knew she had to stop it. The hallways were smoky and dark, full of men and demons that were screaming and dying, and she saw none of it until she plowed into someone. That someone grabbed her arms and she looked up into the bloody, angry face of Riley Finn. He held his gun against her cheek. Maggie didn't struggle. She didn't think he'd pull the trigger, but she'd never seen him look quite so furious. It made her uncertain.

"Leaving your massacre so soon?" he demanded.

"Riley...Eve...I know where she is...and Faith..." Maggie panted. Something flashed in his eyes, and his jaw set even tighter.

"Show me," he said, giving her a little shove. He followed her down the corridor, shooting the few hostiles that were still healthy enough to try to attack. They burst in to the room in time to see Faith with one hand wrapped around Eve's throat, the one resting on her chest. Her gaze took in Riley and Maggie placidly before she turned back to Eve, who nodded at her.

"It's alright. It's what I want. Do it. You've got to," Eve said in a low but urgent voice. Faith didn't hesitate another moment, plunging her hand through the cyborg's chest.

"Eve!" Maggie screamed as she watched her creation's deactivated body crumble to the floor, the uranium-powered core clenched tightly in the brunette's fist. She ran forward, kneeling beside the body in disbelief, knowing it was already too late to help. Even if she had the proper equipment, another core at the ready, it would be too late. 

Riley stared, stunned, as Faith waved her hand and the power center levitated a few feet above her and then blinked out of existence. A second later, the girl's eyes returned to their normal dark brown state. She swayed momentarily, looking confused, and Riley ran to her side, offering his support.

"What the hell was that?" the soldier asked. Faith stared up at him for a long moment, almost as if she`d never seen him before, then shook her head.

"Long story. What about the others?"

"Others? You mean Gates and Miller?"

"No, Willow, Xander and Giles. They`re here."

"I haven't seen them."

"Okay...what about Gates and Miller."

"Took care of them. I think they were the only ones of these...things...that were finished. There're a lot of dead demons and men out there, but I think the fighting has mostly stopped. I'm gonna call for cleanup. Right now we just need to find the others and get the hell out of here."

Faith nodded, looking down at Eve's body, now cradled in Maggie's arms. Professor Walsh glared at them both, tears streaming down her face.

"Do you know what you've done? Do you have any idea?" she shrieked in grief and fury.

Faith looked down at her with utter contempt, then back at Riley. He answered the unspoken question.

"We'll take care of her. The military has ways of making...criminals like her disappear."

"Criminals?" Maggie repeated, spitting. "I was close to a breakthrough that would have saved the lives of millions of American soldiers-"

"I don't want to hear this," Faith interrupted. She leaned down and hauled Maggie to her feet, sparing one more glance down at the hideous patchwork that had at one time been the body of Buffy Summers. When she looked at Maggie again, tears were streaming down her face. "You still don't get it, do you? You wouldn't be saving them, you'd be killing them. In a way, I wish I'd had time to finish with you, because as disgusting and evil as you are, you're still human and that means I can't kill you." Maggie frowned at her, confused, then deep in the girl's brown eyes she saw and thought she recognized...she gasped.

"Eve?" she whispered. Faith's mouth smirked, but it wasn't Faith making the expression. Maggie recognized her now. "No...that isn't...it's not possible...I killed you. I killed you!"

"You buried me. Deep." She pointed at down at the crumpled blonde, her voice shaking with emotion. "And then she found me."

"How?" Maggie asked. She wasn't sure which `how' she was even asking about. There were so many hows and whys here. The brunette's eyes never strayed from the still form that had once been her own as she responded.

"I don't know how she did it. I don't know how she switched us. And I don't know why, not really, except...for a split second we were together, during the switch, and I caught a glimpse of what it was like for her. She thought she had to be me, and she didn't think she could. She was so afraid of messing it up...I guess she thought this would be better."

"Oh my God," Riley said brokenly, tears in his eyes. He drew her into a crushing hug. "Buffy. Oh God, Buffy. It's really you?"

"About as me as I can be, under the circumstances," the girl replied shakily. "I...it's a lot to deal with Riley...I don't know whether to thank Faith or to curse her." He pulled away, glancing back at Maggie to make sure she was still before looking at his lost love with wonder once again.

"I'll thank her for you, then...oh God, I thought I'd lost you."

"You did," the girl sighed, her eyes troubled, haunted. "In a way, you still have. I'm not...the same. I'll never be the same."

"I don't care. I don't care how much you've changed, as long as it's you. I love you so much, Buffy."

Maggie thought she was going to be ill. Her Eve was gone. Her plans were gone. Her life was gone. And somehow, Buffy Summers persevered. She couldn't allow it. Somewhere deep down, a clinically detached part of her mind registered that she was no longer sane, but the larger part of her didn't care. Hands curled into claws she launched herself at Buffy with an inhuman cry. She vaguely heard the crack of a single shot before the two of them tumbled to the ground. Hazes of red and black clouded her vision, and she found herself unable to speak or move, yet she was aware as Riley rolled her onto her back, and helped the girl to her feet. Riley crouched beside her briefly, feeling her pulse and shaking his head. Maggie knew what that meant. Just before the nightmare faded and the real nightmare began, she heard Buffy speak with Faith's voice one last time.

"Goodbye, mother."

********


End file.
